Boxscore

Aroldis Chapman and the Louisville Bats came to Indianapolis tonight to face the Indians. There were definitely more Cincinnati Reds fans in attendance than when I last visited on Monday.

Chapman was effectively wild. His raw talent was amazing, routinely hitting the high 90s on the scoreboard pitch speed. His change-up was in the low 80s. That’s a nice speed differential. However, he allowed 3 hits and walked 5 over 5 1/3 innings. That only amounted to 1 run, and the win, thanks to a strong Louisville Bats offense, but I hope he has the time to improve in the minors. I’d hate for him to be called up early and destroyed by the maelstrom that is the Reds.

Wilkin Castillo and Juan Francisco led the Bats offensive charge, both clubbing home runs and driving in 2. Thanks to the Bats’ bullpen, that lead held up, and Chapman received his first professional win.

Aroldis Chapman was the primary reason we made the trip. Below are a few pictures of him in action.

CINCINNATI, OHIO – Cincinnati Reds star outfielder Jay Bruce will be hosting his inaugural Jay Bruce Baseball Camp presented by CBTS and Fifth Third Bank in partnership with the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. This three-day event will be held Monday, July 19th through Wednesday, July 21st at the state of the art facility Prasco Park in Mason, OH from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Campers are encouraged to register soon as there are less than 100 spots available for camp.

Jay and Indiana University Head Coach Tracy Smith will be on site to direct the activities of the camp and provide instruction. Jay will be in attendance at camp all three days and there will also be appearances by other Reds Stars. The camp will feature a selection of the top prep and collegiate coaches from the Cincinnati area. The camp will be open to all boys and girls ages from 6 to 14.

The campers will experience various stations, specializing in fundamental skills and the team concept of baseball. Individual groups will be small to assure that each camper gets maximum personalized instruction.

In addition to 9 hours of baseball instruction, all campers will receive an autographed camp team photo with Jay, a camp T-shirt, free admission to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, free tickets to a future Cincinnati Reds home game, and the opportunity to win additional contests and prizes. Cost of the camp is $199.

In addition to CBTS and Fifth Third Bank, camp partners include Meijer, Fox Sports Ohio, and B105.

Additional information and registration is available at www.JayBruceCamp.com or call 513-793-CAMP.

I love sitting close to the Bats’ dugout when they come to Indy. I’m in section 120, but 121 is the best if you can get it.

Boxscore

From the start, everyone was afraid that the muffed kick on the point after touchdown would hurt the Reds; however, they never scored again, so the miss was moot. Oh, wait, this is baseball, not football. Cincinnati already has one mediocre football team. No need to add another one to the mix.

Despite the football-style score, the Cincinnati Reds did play yesterday. One wouldn’t typically call it baseball, at least, not good baseball.

Aaron Harang brought his typical F-game, providing the team with a terrible start. He allowed 7 runs–6 earned–in 5 1/3 innings. His ERA stands at 8.31. On the day the Chicago Cubs announced Carlos Zambrano’s move to the bullpen, I’m wondering if the Reds shouldn’t try the same with Harang. His suckitude, for whatever reason, is becoming comical.

Of course, Harang allowed only half of the Dodger runs. For the rest, we turn to the bullpen. Micah Owings couldn’t record an out, but could give up 2 runs. Logan Ondrusek got some outs–6 of them–but allowed 4 runs. And Mike Lincoln pitched the 9th and allowed 1 paltry run, showing that the Dodgers weren’t really trying by that point. The only reliever to escape unscathed was Daniel Herrera, who recorded one out in the 6th. Good job, Daniel! You’re the Reds star pitcher of the game!

The offense for the Reds was good, at least at the beginning. Harang gave up an early lead to the Dodgers, but in the bottom of the first, Joey Votto and Scott Rolen hit home runs, giving the Reds a 3-1 lead. It was the only lead the Reds had, and it lasted all the way from the bottom of the first to the top of the second.

The Reds did come back to tie it once, but it has to engender a feeling of pointlessness when your pitchers continue to make your job harder and harder. I mean, the Reds scored 6 runs. And it wasn’t enough. This is a team with pitching as its strength, right? Ouch.